ORD 


AN  UAL  OFfOL 


John  Jthiel  San  ford 


SAN  FORD'S 
MANUAL  OF  COLOR 

BY 

JOHN  ITHIEL  SANFORD 


PUBLISHED  BY 

HUGH  KELLY  &  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1910 
By  JOHN  ITHIEL  SANFORD 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 
A)l  Rights  Reserved 


TO 

HUGH  KELLY 


WHOSE  INTELLIGENT   FORESIGHT,  UNTIRING  ENERGY,  AND  FAITHFUL 
DISCHARGE  OF  DUTY,  AS  COMMISSIONER  OF  THE  SCHOOLS  OF 
THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK,  CONTRIBUTED  MUCH  TO 
THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  EDUCATION, 

THIS  BOOK 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  BY  THE 

AUTHOR 


Manual  of  Color 


2 


The  Importance  of  Color 
Education 

THE  Harmony  of  color  is  of  more  importance 
to  everyone  than  most  people  appreciate. 
It  is  important,  not  to  Artists  and  Colorists 
alone,  because  everyone  excepting  a  comparatively 
few  unfortunates,  has  eyes  that  cannot  help  seeing 
color,  and  color  has  as  marked  an  effect  upon  the 
eye  as  sound  has  upon  the  ear;  and,  as  harmony 
of  sound  is  pleasing  to  every  ear,  so  that  "  Music 
hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,"  har- 
mony of  color  is  equally  effective  upon  the  eyes 
even  of  the  savage. 

How  often  is  the  eye  offended  by  badly  selected 
colors  in  the  dress  of  a  child  or  of  an  adult !  How 
often  an  otherwise  artistic  costume  is  ruined  by 
one  false  color ! 

If  the  subject  of  color  were  more  prominent  in 
our  minds,  a  mother  would  not  thoughtlessly  de- 
stroy the  effect  of  her  little  girl's  pleasing  costume 
of  tan  by  the  purchase  of  gray  gloves,  nor  would 
the  young  man  of  the  family  array  himself  in  tan 
shoes,  green  socks,  and  a  purple  tie,  capped  by  a 
hat  band  of  orange  and  black.  A  woman  who 
has  given  proper  thought  to  the  harmony  of  color 
would  not  have  orange  on  her  hat  and  a  pink  bow 
at  her  throat,  particularly  if  she  has  a  swarthy 
complexion. 

7 


How  much  more  pleasure  we  would  get  out  of 
our  daily  lives  if  our  sensibilities  were  not  jarred  by 
the  colors,  or  combinations  of  colors,  which  stare 
at  us,  not  only  from  apparel,  but  from  the  houses 
which  we  pass,  from  the  flaring  posters  which  con- 
front us  on  all  sides,  and  from  many  other  places 
where  color  plays  an  important  part.  These  obser- 
vations cause  us  to  realize  how  very  little  intelli- 
gent thought  has  been  given  to  the  harmony  of 
color. 

How  much  more  attractive  is  a  home  where  the 
color  scheme  is  correct  than  one  where  no  atten- 
tion has  been  given  to  the  colors  selected. 

An  easily  acquired  knowledge  of  color  will  teach 
one  how  to  have  colors  blend  rather  than  clash. 


8 


ANALYSIS  OF  COLOR 


Yellow 

PRIMARY 
COLORS    ( R 

Blue 
Green 

SECONDARY 
COLORS     ( Orange 

Purple  - 


-{ 


Yellow- 
Blue 
Yellow 
Red 
Red 
Blue 


TERTIARY 
COLORS 


Citrine 


Russet 


Olive  

Campanula 

Turquoise 

INTERMEDIATE  ]  Sulphur  - 
COLORS 

Saffron  -  - 
Nasturtium 
Garnet  - 


f  Green 
1  Orange or 

f  Orange 
i  Purple  or 


reen 


or 


or 


or 


Blue 
Purple 

Blue 
Green 


f  Yellow 
I  Green 

Yellow  j 
Orange  or| 

f  Red 

(  Orange  or 
J  Red  ( 
i  Purple  or  j 


Yellow  2  parts 
Red     1  " 
Blue     1  "* 


Red  2 
Blue  1 
Yellow  1 

Blue  2 
Red  1 
Yellow  1 

Blue 
Red 

Blue  3 
Yellow  1 

Yellow  3 
Blue  1 

Yellow  3 
Red  1 

Red  3 
Yellow  1 

Red  3 
Blue  1 


3  parts 
1  " 


The  Primary  Colors 


THE  first  thing  to  be  considered  in  the  study 
of  ANALYSIS  OF  COLOR  is  the  Primary 
Colors. 

A  PRIMARY  COLOR  is  a  color  that  cannot  be 
made  by  combining  other  colors.  There  are  three  : 
Yellow,  Red,  and  Blue.  All  other  colors  come  from 
combinations  of  these  three  colors. 

In  the  COLOR  GUIDE  they  occupy  the 
THREE  CENTER  HEXAGONS, 

YELLOW  is  the  representative  of  LIGHT. 

There  is  some  Yellow  in  all  light,  and  no  har- 
monious light  effects  in  the  use  of  color  can  be  pro- 
duced without  the  use  of  Yellow.  Even  if  White 
be  used,  it  is  more  perfectly  harmonized  with  other 
colors,  and  its  presence  made  more  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  if  subdued  by  the  addition  of  a  little  YEL- 
LOW, making  it  a  cream  or  straw  color. 

BLUE  is  the  representative  of  SHADE. 

It  is  the  cold  color  and  it  cools  every  color  in 
which  it  is  present.  There  is  some  blue  in  all  shad- 
ows. In  combination  with  Yellow  it  becomes  a  cool 
green,  as  in  the  shadows  of  foliage,  and  GREEN, 
the  combination  of  Yellow  and  Blue,  is  the  most 
tranquilizing  of  colors  and  most  soothing  to  the 
eye,  hence  its  popular  use  in  shades  and  decora- 
tions for  studies,  hospitals  and  places  where  quiet 
is  required. 

10 


The  presence  of  Blue  in  the  shadows  of  pink 
drapery  may  readily  be  detected,  if  observed  in  a 
strong  sunlight  and  at  a  little  distance,  by  a  purple 
tone  in  the  shadows.  This  effect  can  be  correctly 
imitated  with  pigments,  by  the  addition  of  a  very 
little  Blue,  less  strong  than  the  amount  of  Red 
which  forms  the  Pink. 

It  is  a  safe  and  correct  rule  in  dress  and  decora- 
tion to  produce  the  shadow  effects  in  the  color  plan 
by  the  use  of  Blue,  or  dark  Green  or  Purple,  in 
which  Blue  is  a  part. 

RED  is  the  representative  of  COLOR. 

It  is  the  warmest  and  most  exciting  of  all  colors. 
Its  presence  in  a  picture,  or  in  dress  and  decoration, 
either  in  Red  color,  or  by  being  added  to,  and  warm- 
ing and  enriching  the  other  colors  present,  gives 
what  is  called  M  Color  "  by  artists  and  critics. 

Red  warms  every  color  in  which  it  is  present. 
It  is  present  in  foliage  greens  in  a  large  measure, 
warming  and  enriching  them,  as  may  readily  be 
seen  by  comparing  them  with  a  pure,  cold  Green. 
Its  presence  in  Yellow  turns  it  into  a  rich,  warm 
Orange  color,  and  its  presence  in  Blue  turns  it  into 
a  rich  "  Royal  n  Purple.  Therefore,  its  presence  in 
the  colors  of  dress,  decoration,  and  painting  is  a 
very  important  element,  even  when  no  actual  Red 
color  may  appear.  The  Greens,  Blues,  or  Yellows, 
when  warmed  by  the  addition  of  Red,  are  much 
more  pleasing  to  the  eye  than  the  same  colors  used 
pure  and  cold,  and  in  selecting  colors  for  dress  or 
decoration  this  fact  should  be  remembered. 


n 


White  and  Black 


WHITE  and  black  are  the 
ACME  OF  LIGHT  AND  SHADE. 
Whether  White  and  Black  may  correctly  be 
called  colors  or  not,  is  still  a  mooted  question. 

They  certainly  cannot  be  formed  by  a  combi- 
nation of  other  colors,  although  it  is  frequently 
claimed  this  may  be  done,  and  nothing  more  clear- 
ly shows  the  universal  lack  of  true  knowledge  in 
the  science  of  color,  even  by  those  who  claim  some 
practical  knowledge  of  the  science,  than  that  such 
claims  could  be  made  unchallenged,  or  that  in  the 
same  generation  the  claim  should  be  made,  first, 
that  a  certain  combination  of  colors  would  produce 
White,  and  then  that  the  same  combination  would 
produce  Black. 

For  years  a  Color  Wheel  was  a  part  of  many 
school  equipments,  designed  to  demonstrate  that 
White  was  a  combination  of  all  colors,  by  placing 
on  the  disks  the  three  Primary  colors  and  blending 
them  perfectly  by  revolving  the  wheel  at  a  high 
speed.  It  long  held  its  place  in  the  hands  of  in- 
structors of  color,  notwithstanding  that  the  result 
was  not  what  was  claimed  for  it.  The  colors  on 
the  disks  were  usually  a  light  tone  of  the  colors 
used,  in  which  white  formed  the  greater  part,  and 
the  blending  produced  a  Neutral  Gray,  such  as  any 
color  mixer  would  produce  by  combining  the  Pri- 

12 


maries  in  equal  parts  and  adding  White.  When 
the  claim  that  it  was  White  was  challenged,  they 
replied,  "it  was  White  of  a  low  luminosity,"  but 
not  being  able  to  support  the  claim  in  view  of  the 
evident  result,  the  idea  was  quite  generally  aban- 
doned. 

The  combining  of  Yellow,  Red,  and  Blue,  in 
which  no  White  is  present,  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  the  absence  of  color  possible  to  produce  by  a 
combination  of  true  colors,  and  a  very  dark  shade 
may  be  produced,  but  it  is  very  far  from  a  true 
Black. 


3 


13 


Secondary  Colors 


THE  FIRST  STEP  in  the  Analysis  of  Color 
is:  TWO  PRIMARIES  FORM  A  SEC- 
ONDARY. 

A  SECONDARY  COLOR  is  a  color  made  by 
combining  two  Primary  Colors  in  equal  parts. 
There  are  three:  Green,  Orange,  and  Purple.  In 
the  COLOR  GUIDE  they  occupy  the  THREE 
OUTER  HEXAGONS,  each  being  formed  by  the 
combining,  in  equal  parts,  of  the  two  Primary  Col- 
ors between  which  it  is  located. 

YELLOW  and  BLUE  form  GREEN,  and  it  is 
placed  in  the  outer  hexagon  between  the  hexagons 
occupied  by  the  Yellow  and  Blue. 

YELLOW  and  RED  form  ORANGE,  and  it 
is  placed  in  the  outer  hexagon  between  the  hexa- 
gons occupied  by  the  Yellow  and  Red. 

RED  and  BLUE  form  PURPLE,  and  it  is 
placed  in  the  outer  hexagon  between  the  hexagons 
occupied  by  the  Red  and  Blue. 

An  important  claim  set  up  by  an  influential 
School  of  Painters,  that  these  three  Secondary 
Colors  are  what  they  choose  to  call  ' '  The  True 
Primaries  "  cannot  be  overlooked.  The  error  is  a 
serious  one  from  a  scientific  standpoint,  and  must 
necessarily  lead  the  student  of  color  into  a  confus- 
ing dilemma.  It  evidently  comes  from  a  superfi- 
cial study  of  the  production  of  the  complementary 

14 


colors  in  the  eye  and  in  reflected  color  in  nature. 
When  a  Green  object  is  looked  at  in  a  strong  light 
until  the  eye  is  saturated  with  the  color,  its  comple- 
ment, Red,  is  produced  in  the  eye,  and  if  the  eyes 
are  closed  the  object  will  appear  a  bright  Red,  in- 
stead of  Green,  its  natural  color.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  others :  Purple  producing  Yellow  in  the 
eye,  and  Orange  producing  Blue.  Therefore  it  is 
claimed  that  these  are  u  The  True  Primaries,"  but 
a  more  careful  study  plainly  reveals  the  fallacy  of 
such  a  claim.  The  action  of  complementary  colors 
is  always  reciprocal,  and  the  reverse  action  of  these 
colors  is  much  more  marked.  Red  will  produce 
Green  in  the  eye  much  more  quickty  and  brilliantly 
than  Green  will  produce  Red,  and  the  same  fact  per- 
tains to  Yellow  and  Purple,  and  Blue  and  Orange. 

That  there  is  one  action  of  color  in  light,  and 
another  in  pigments  is  not  correct.  The  action  is* 
identical  in  both. 

The  following  simple  experiment  will  prove,  be- 
yond any  question,  the  truth  of  this  assertion  and 
also  the  fallacy  of  the  double  set  of  Primaries. 
From  a  piece  of  thin  looking  glass  cut  a  couple  of 
little  mirrors  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  width 
and  an  inch  in  length.  Stick  pins  lengthwise 
through  two  small  corks  and  glue  the  backs  of  the 
mirrors  on  to  the  tops  of  the  corks  over  the  heads 
of  the  pins,  so  they  may  be  stuck  into  paper  and  set 
at  any  desired  angle.  Throw  the  prismatic  colors 
through  a  prism  on  to  a  sheet  of  white  paper  on  the 
wall ,  and  place  another  sheet  of  white  paper  on  the 
wall  opposite  the  sheet  upon  which  the  colors  are 

15 


shown.  To  prove  that  Green  is  a  secondary  color 
in  light,  as  well  as  in  pigments,  produce  it  from  the 
adjoining  colors  on  each  side,  Blue  and  Yellow. 
Stick  the  mirrors,  one  in  pure  Blue,  reflecting  it 
on  to  the  white  paper  opposite,  and  the  other  in 
pure  Yellow,  throwing  them  together  on  the  op- 
posite paper,  when  the  same  Green  shown  by  the 
prism  will  be  produced.  The  same  experiment 
should  then  be  made  with  the  mirrors  in  Yellow 
and  Red  for  Orange,  and  in  Blue  and  Red  for 
Purple.  This  fully  establishes  the  secondary  char- 
acter of  these  three  colors,  for  no  scientist  would 
contend  that  a  color  produced  by  combining  two 
other  colors  was  in  any  sense  a  Primary  color. 

Now  try  the  opposite  experiment  of  producing 
the  Blue  by  a  combining  of  the  adjacent  colors  on 
each  side,  Purple  and  Green,  and  the  Yellow  by 
combining  Green  and  Orange,  and  the  Red  by  com- 
bining Orange  and  Purple,  or  any  other  combina- 
tions the  student  may  wish  to  try.  Note  the  utter 
failure  of  the  experiments  and  know  for  a  cer- 
tainty that  Yellow,  Red,  and  Blue  are  the  true  and 
only  Primaries  in  either  light  or  pigments. 

This  will  be  made  still  more  clear  under  Com- 
plementary Colors. 

The  method  of  handling  colors  used  by  the 
School  of  Artists  above  referred  to  is  not  seriously 
affected  or  altered  by  the  false  idea  of  "True  Pri- 
maries "  as  color  always  produces  its  complement, 
as  they  claim,  and  the  error,  therefore,  is  merely  a 
theoretical  one  which  does  not  affect  the  practical 
action  of  color,  but  the  fallacy  would  seriously  con- 
fuse the  scientific  student. 


16 


Tertiary  Colors 


THE  SECOND  STEP  in  the  Analysis  of  Color 
is:  TWO  SECONDARIES  FORM  A  TER- 
TIARY. 

A  TERTIARY  COLOR  is  a  color  made  by 
combining  two  Secondary  Colors  in  equal  parts  ;  or 
in  painting  it  may  be  made  directly  from  the  Pri- 
mary Colors,  by  mixing  all  three  Primary  Colors  to- 
gether in  the  proportion  of  two  parts  of  one  to  one 
part  each  of  the  other  two.  There  are  three :  Cit- 
rine, Russet,  and  Olive,  occupying  in  the  COLOR 
GUIDE  the  THREE  EXTREME  OUTER  DIA- 
MONDS\  each  containing  two  parts  of  the  Primary 
Color  next  to  it,  to  one  part  each  of  the  other  two 
Primary  Colors. 

CITRINE  is  made  by  combining  two  parts  of 
Yellow  to  one  part  each  of  Red  and  Blue,  and  occu- 
pies the  outer  diamond  next  to  Yellow  and  between 
Orange  and  Green,  which  produce  it  analytically. 

RUSSET  is  made  by  combining  two  parts  of 
Red  to  one  part  each  of  Yellow  and  Blue,  and  occu- 
pies the  outer  diamond  next  to  Red  and  between 
Orange  and  Purple,  which  produce  it  analytically. 

OLIVE  is  made  by  combining  two  parts  of  Blue 
to  one  part  each  of  Yellow  and  Red,  and  occupies 
the  outer  diamond  next  to  Blue  and  between  Purple 
and  Green,  which  produce  it  analytically. 

17 


This  is  as  far  as  the  Analysis  of  Color  can  pro- 
ceed, because  joining  two  Tertiaries  for  a  Quater- 
nary would  be  nearly  equivalent  to  combining  the 
three  Primaries  in  equal  parts,  which  is  the  nearest 
approach  to  the  absence  of  color  it  is  possible  to 
produce. 

The  three  Tertiary  Colors  are  not  present  in  the 
Prismatic  or  Rainbow  Colors,  as  they  are  produced 
by  a  combination  of  all  three  Primary  Colors  at 
once  and  only  two  colors  are  combined  simultan- 
eously in  the  prism  or  rainbow. 


18 


Intermediate  Colors 


'HERE  yet  remain  to  be  considered  in  the 


I    COLOR  GUIDE  the  INTERMEDIATE 
COLORS. 

AN  INTERMEDIATE  COLOR  is  a  color  be- 
tween a  Primary  Color  and  a  Secondary  Color,  and 
is  made  by  combining  a  Primary  and  a  Secondary 
in  equal  parts  ;  or  in  painting  it  may  be  made  di- 
rectly from  the  Primary  Colors  by  mixing  two  Pri- 
maries in  the  proportion  of  three  parts  of  one  to 
one  part  of  the  other.  There  are  six  Intermediate 
Colors:  Sulphur  (Yellow-Green),  Saffron  (Yellow- 
Orange),  Nasturtium  (Red-Orange),  Garnet  (Red- 
Purple),  Campanula  (Blue-Purple),  and  Turquoise 
(Blue-Green),  occupying  in  the  COLOR  GUIDE 
the  SIX  REMAINING  DIAMONDS.  Each  one  is 
made  by  combining  in  equal  parts  the  Primary  and 
Secondary  Color  between  which  each  is  located ; 
or  in  painting  each  may  be  made  directly  from 
Primaries,  by  mixing  three  parts  of  the  Primary 
next  which  it  stands,  with  one  part  of  the  Primary 
on  the  same  side  of  the  chart  and  towards  which 
it  points. 

These  six  Intermediate  Colors  are  usually  di- 
vided into  a  grade  of  five  shades,  ranging  from  the 
Primary  to  the  Secondary  between  which  each 
color  stands,  and  this  gradation,  together  with  the 
multitude  of  shades  of  the  Primaries  and  Second- 


19 


aries,  provides  an  endless  variety  of  color.  Most  at- 
tempts at  preparing  a  Color  Guide  have  been  with 
an  idea  of  furnishing  a  list  of  such  shades,  but  a 
competent  Colorist  needs  no  such  combination  of 
colors.  To  the  student  it  is  hopelessly  confusing 
and  retards,  rather  than  helps,  the  attainment  of  a 
really  scientific  knowledge  of  color,  which,  when 
obtained,  makes  the  student  independent  and  capa- 
ble of  producing  any  shade  or  tone  of  color  desired. 


20 


Purple 

Campanula 
or  Blue-purple 

BLUE 

Turquoise  or 
Blue-green 

Green 

Sulphur  or 
Yellow-green 

YELLOW 

Saffron  or 
Yellow-orange 

Orange 

Nasturtium  or 
Red-orange 

RED 

Garnet  or 
Red-purple 

Purple 


Complete  Chart  of  the  Prismatic  or  Rainbow  Colors 


Complete  Chart  of  the  Prismatic 
or  Rainbow  Colors 


IT  will  be  noted  that,  both  in  the  COLOR  GUIDE 
and  in  the  PRISMATIC  CHART,  Indigo  does 
not  appear,  although  it  was  included  by  all  Col- 
orists  from  Newton's  time  up  to  1890,  when  the  dis- 
covery was  made  that,  being  a  combination  of 
Black  and  Blue,  Indigo  could  not  be,  and  never 
had  been,  present  in  the  prismatic  colors. 

As  will  be  readily  seen,  all  colors  come  from  the 
three  primary  colors,  Red,  Yellow,  and  Blue.  The 
Secondary  and  Intermediate  Colors  are  formed  in 
the  Prism,  or  Rainbow,  by  a  blending  of  the  Pri- 
mary Colors;  the  Red  and  Yellow  blending  together 
and  forming  all  grades  of  Orange,  from  Red-Orange 
to  Yellow-Orange  ;  and  the  Yellow  and  Blue  blend- 
ing together  into  all  grades  of  Green,  from  Yellow- 
Green  to  Blue-Green.  Purple  is  formed,  both  at 
the  top  and  bottom  of  the  Rainbow,  by  reflection  of 
the  Red  and  Blue,  which  are  refracted  out  of  a 
direct  line,  and  consequently  reflected  on  the  inner 
surface  of  the  prism  or  raindrop,  as  shown  in  the 
chart,  the  Red  being  reflected  from  the  bottom  into 
the  Blue  at  the  top,  thus  forming  Purple.  Violet 
is  Purple  in  a  diluted  form,  and  as  it  is  a  reflected 
color  in  the  rainbow,  and  consequently  weak,  may 
reasonably  be  called  Violet,  but  is  really  Purple. 


4 


21 


The  Blue  is  also  reflected  into  the  Red,  and  pro- 
duces Purple  at  the  bottom.  Colorists,  not  having 
looked  for  this  had  failed  to  observe  it,  but  it  may 
be  plainly  seen  in  any  bright  rainbow. 

The  Red,  reflecting  into  the  Blue  at  the  top, 
produces  all  grades  of  Purple  between  pure  Purple 
and  Red-Purple.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  all  colors 
appear  in  the  Prismatic  or  Rainbow  Colors,  ex- 
cepting the  Tertiary  Colors,  Citrine,  Russet,  and 
Olive,  which  being  a  simultaneous  combination  of 
all  three  Primary  Colors,  cannot  themselves  exist 
in  the  Prismatic  Colors. 


22 


HARMONY  OF  COLOR 


THE  way  color  affects  the  eye  is  not  only  very 
interesting,  but  is  a  very  important  matter  to 
every  person  who  has  eyes.  When  the  eye 
looks  at  a  color,  not  the  color  itself,  but  its  opposite, 
called  its  complementary  color,  is  absorbed  by  the 
eye,  and  if  the  eyes  are  closed  the  object  will  be 
seen,  not  in  the  color  the  eye  saw  when  open,  but 
in  its  complementary  color.  If  a  red  color  is  looked 
at  until  the  eye  is  saturated  with  the  color,  and  the 
eyes  are  closed,  the  object  will  be  seen,  not  in  red, 
but  in  a  bright  green.  If  the  eye  sees  a  bright 
yellow  until  it  is  filled  with  the  color,  it  will  be  seen 
with  closed  eyes,  in  a  rich  purple.  Therefore  when 
one  color  is  seen  it  is  important  that  the  next  color 
looked  at  shall  harmonize  with  the  color  nature  has 
formed  in  the  eye,  or  an  unpleasant  shock  will  be 
experienced  and  the  pleasing  sensation  of  harmony 
destroyed  just  as  effectively  as  a  clash  of  sounds 
shocks  the  ear. 

This  creation  of  the  Complementary  Color  is  not 
confined  alone  to  the  eye,  but  all  nature  capable  of 
reflecting  color  shows  the  same  action.  For  ex- 
ample :  a  yellow  sunset  reflects  purple  in  all  cloud 
and  snow  shadows. 

The  matter  of  complementary  color  is  a  simple 
one,  not  difficult  to  understand,  and  everyone 
should  learn  it. 

23 


Complementary  Colors 


DEFINITION :  To  each  color  there  is  one  other 
color  which  is  ' '  Complementary. ' '  A  Comple- 
mentary color  is  one  which  supplies  what  is 
lacking  in  the  other.  For  example,  Green,  which 
contains  Yellow  and  Blue,  lacks  Red,  therefore 
Red  supplies  what  is  lacking  in  Green  and  is  its 
Complement ;  and,  vice  versa,  Green  is  the  Comple- 
ment of  Red. 

In  every  case  Complementary  Colors  are  recip- 
rocally Complements  of  each  other. 

In  the  COLOR  GUIDE  the  Complementary 
Colors  are  shown  OPPOSITE  EACH  OTHER. 
Red  and  Green  are  Complements.  Yellow  and 
Purple  are  Complements.  Blue  and  Orange  are 
Complements. 

The  student  will  see  at  once  that  it  is  simply  a 
matter  of  remembering  these  three  sets  of  Comple- 
ments and  learning  to  balance  shade  for  shade,  and 
tint  for  tint,  as  the  more  delicate  the  tint  the  more 
subtile  and  exquisite  may  be  the  effect  of  color 
harmony  upon  the  eye,  just  as  soft  music  may 
create  the  most  subtile  and  pleasing  harmonies  of 
sound. 


24 


Brightening  Color  by  the  Use  of 
the  Complement 

IT  is  important  that  the  student  understand  well 
the  following  simple  principles  upon  which 
Nature  acts:  As  has  been  stated,  each  color  pro- 
duces its  Complement  in  the  eye.  If  one  looks  at 
Red,  Green  is  created  in  the  eye.  This  is  not  a 
delusion,  but  a  very  practical  fact.  Now  if  one  has 
seen  Red,  and  there  is  consequently  Green  in  the 
eye,  if  the  eye  turns  from  the  Red  to  Green,  the 
Green  which  has  been  produced  in  the  eye  by  the 
Red  will  add  to  the  Green  looked  at  and  it  will  ap- 
pear more  brilliant  than  it  would  have  appeared  if 
the  eye  had  not  just  been  looking  at  Red.  This 
explains  the  principles  of  the  first  rule  in  the  Har- 
mony of  Color. 

RULE  I.  COMPLEMENTARY  COLORS 
WHEN  PLACED  SIDE  BY  SIDE  BRIGHTEN 
EACH  OTHER. 

It  will  thus  be  understood  that  if  brilliancy  of 
color  is  desired  it  must  be  attained  by  the  appli- 
cation of  this  principle.  The  two  Complementary 
colors  must  in  some  way  be  so  arranged  as  to  ap- 
pear in  juxtaposition. 


25 


Subduing  Color  by  the  Use  of 
the  Complement 

WE  now  come  to  the  matter  of  subduing  in- 
stead of  heightening  color,  which  may  easi- 
ly be  done  by  observing  another  action  of 
Nature  well  nigh  as  curious  and  surprising  as  the 
one  we  have  been  considering :  The  same  color 
which,  if  placed  beside  a  color,  will  brighten  it, 
if  mixed  with  the  color  will  "  Kill  "  it.  If  Red  be 
too  red,  Green  is  the  only  color  that  will  take  the 
redness  out,  or  subdue  it,  and  vice  versa ;  if  Green 
is  too  green,  Red  is  the  only  color  that  will  destroy 
the  greenness. 

This  fact  is  of  equal  force  with  every  color:  Red 
and  Green  are  complements  and  will  not  only 
brighten  each  other  in  juxtaposition,  but  will  kill 
each  other  if  mixed  together.  The  same  is  true  of 
Yellow  and  Purple  and  of  Blue  and  Orange. 

We  therefore  have  the  second  rule  in  Harmony 
of  Color : 

RULE  II.  COMPLEMENTARY  COLORS 
WHEN  MIXED  TOGETHER  KILL  EACH 
OTHER. 

By  observing  these  two  rules,  any  desired  effect 
in  the  harmony  of  color  may  be  produced ;  any 
color  may  be  either  heightened  or  subdued  at  will, 
by  the  simple  method  of  placing  its  Complement 

26 


beside  it,  if  more  brilliancy  is  desired  ;  or  by  mixing 
the  Complement  with  it,  if  less  brilliancy  is  desired. 

In  dress,  drapery,  or  decoration,  any  color  may 
be  subdued  by  surrounding  it  with  a  symphony  of 
similar  shades  or  colors.  The  eye  then  "mixes" 
the  complementary  color  as  effectively  as  the  artist 
mixes  his  pigments. 

The  symphony  of  practically  one  color  produces 
the  complement  in  the  eye,  and  if  this  created  com- 
plement is  not  neutralized  by  the  actual  presence 
of  the  same  color,  it  blends  in  the  eye  with  the  lo- 
cal color  and  subdues  it. 


27 


Producing  Correct  Shadow 
Effects  in  Painting 

THE  above  fact  also  gives  us  a  very  valuable 
rule  for  painting  shadows  correctly  in  any 
color.  It  is  only  in  the  light  that  the  color  of 
any  object  is  pure.  In  shadow  Nature  always  sub- 
dues the  color  by  the  introduction  of  its  comple- 
ment to  a  sufficient  degree  to  partially  neutralize 
the  local  color,  and  this  process  must  be  imitated 
by  the  successful  artist.  Therefore,  no  matter  what 
color  is  being  painted,  the  correct  and  most  simple 
way  to  reproduce  the  shadow  effect  is  to  reduce  the 
brilliancy  of  the  local  color  with  just  a  little  of  the 
complement  and  then  deepen  with  black  to  any 
depth  desired.  For  example:  Purple  drapery  is  too 
crudely  purple  in  many  finished  works  because  the 
artist  has  not  observed  this  natural  law  and  has 
simply  darkened  the  shadows  without  killing  the 
purple.  Yellow  is  the  only  color  that  will  take  the 
purple  out  of  purple  color,  and,  being  a  light  color, 
the  artist  had  perhaps  not  considered  it  the  right 
color  with  which  to  produce  shadow  effects  and 
had  failed  to  follow  Nature's  method,  but  if  enough 
Yellow  is  used  to  subdue  the  purple  and  then 
deepen  the  shadow,  it  will  be  found  to  be  correct 
technique. 


23 


Limited  Range  of  Complement- 
ary Colors 


HE  range  of  complementary  colors  is  not  wide 


and  complicated,  but  is  very  simple  and  con- 


fined strictly  to  the  three  Primaries,  the  three 
Secondaries,  and  the  Intermediate  colors. 

If  a  color  be  a  Primary,  a  Secondary  is  its  com- 
plement, and  if  a  color  is  a  Secondary,  a  Primary 
is  its  complement,  and  if  a  Primary  color  has  but 
a  small  amount  of  another  Primary  in  it,  turning 
it  a  little  away  from  the  Primary,  its  complement 
will  contain  just  that  much  more  of  the  remaining 
third  Primary.  For  example :  If  Red  has  a  little 
Yellow  in  it,  turning  it  toward  Nasturtium,  or  Red- 
Orange,  its  complement,  Green,  must  have  just 
that  much  more  Blue  in  its  composition,  turning  it 
toward  Turquoise,  or  Blue-Green.  In  this  way  the 
six  Intermediate  colors  may  be  complements. 


5 


29 


Application  of  Rules  of  Art  to 
Harmony  of  Color 

ASIDE  from  the  two  rules  already  given  there 
^  are  no  hard  and  fast  rules  for  the  correct 

Harmony  of  Color. 
There  are,  however,  some  Rules  of  Art  which 
should  be  considered  and  employed  in  an  artistic 
arrangement  of  color.  The  first  of  these  rules  is 
INTERCHANGE.  In  art  it  means  relieving  broad 
lights  by  breaking  them  with  smaller  dark  objects, 
and  the  breaking  of  broad  dark  areas  with  smaller 
light  objects.  The  same  breaking  up  of  broad  color 
areas  by  the  introduction  of  smaller  harmonious 
colors,  or  by  the  use  of  light  and  dark  of  the  same 
color,  often  gives  very  desirable  results. 

The  second  Rule  of  Art  to  be  observed  is  CON- 
TRAST. Cold  colors  may  be  made  more  pleasing 
by  contrasting  them  with  warm  colors,  and  warm 
colors  may,  to  advantage,  be  contrasted  with  cold 
ones.  Reubens  thus  contrasted  warm  and  cold 
colors  by  placing  them  side  by  side.  The  Vene- 
tians interchanged  warm  and  cold.  Correggio  em- 
ployed a  warm  central  effect,  with  surrounding  cold 
colors,  and  the  Florentines  employed  a  central  cold 
effect  with  warm  surroundings.  The  possibilities 
of  contrast  are  endless  and  present  countless  vari- 
eties and  pleasing  effects. 

The  effect  of  contrast  may  often  be  attained 

30 


by  the  third  Rule  of  Art  that  should  be  observed : 
REPETITION.  This  means  to  repeat  a  promi- 
nent color  with  less  and  less  prominence,  produc- 
ing somewhat  of  a  vanishing  impression. 

In  employing  any  of  the  above  rules,  a  fourth 
Rule  of  Art  should  always  be  observed:  BALANCE. 
Balance  in  art  does  not  imply  an  equal  quantity  or 
strength .  On  the  contrary,  that  impression  is  always 
avoided,  and  the  balancing  color  should  always  be 
less  conspicuous  than  the  original  that  it  may  not  be 
robbed  of  its  prominence  as  the  foundation  color. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  of  the  Rules  of  Art 
here  given  for  use  in  color  harmony  is  a  fifth  one  : 
TONE.  The  note  struck  may  be  high  or  low,  but 
should  be  maintained  throughout  the  color  scheme. 
A  crude,  strong  color,  though  otherwise  harmoni- 
ous, will  clash  discordantly  among  delicate  tints  of 
a  notably  lighter  tone. 

True  harmony  is  a  matter  of  dexterous,  skillful 
handling  of  these  few  simple  principles,  and  culti- 
vated, experienced  taste,  resulting  from  the  use  of 
the  faculties,  guided  by  the  simple  rules  given.  It 
is  largely  a  matter  of  individual  taste  and  opinion 
and  differs  with  individuals  and  with  the  times  and 
development  of  public  taste. 

In  Nature,  sudden,  violent  contrasts  are  com- 
paratively rare,  and  even  when  they  do  exist,  she 
is  capable  of  harmonizing  conflicting  colors  in  a 
way  art  can  never  equal.  Therefore,  harmony  may 
usually  be  more  successfully  attained  by  accord  of 
colors  and  gradual  gradation  and  delicate  transition 
from  one  color  to  another,  than  by  sudden  contrast. 

31 


Harmony  of  the  Primaries  with 
White  and  Black 


AVERY  valuable  fact  in  harmony  of  color, 
and  one  which  can  be  safely  and  generally 
used  to  advantage,  being  simple  and  easily 
remembered,  is  that  White  and  Black  added  to  each 
of  the  three  Primaries,  produce  two  colors  of  quite 
opposite  effect,  that  always  harmonize  with  each 
other,  as  they  are  virtually  Light  and  Dark  of  the 
same  color.- 

White  added  to  Yellow  will  produce  Straw  or 
Cream  color,  according  to  the  Yellow  used,  and 
Black  added  to  Yellow  produces  Olive ;  therefore 
Straw  or  Cream,  and  Olive  will  always  harmonize. 

White  added  to  Red  produces  Pink.  Black 
added  to  Red  produces  Maroon ;  therefore  Pink 
and  Maroon  will  always  harmonize. 

White  added  to  Blue  produces  Azure.  Black 
added  to  Blue  produces  Indigo ;  therefore  Azure 
and  Indigo  will  always  harmonize. 


32 


Examples  in  Color  Harmony 

CORRECT,  or  desirable  harmony,  varies  with 
every  age.  For  example,  two  decades  ago  the 
idea  of  brilliancy  prevailed,  and  if  a  lady  had 
red  hair,  she  was  dressed  in  Olive-Green,  Peacock- 
Blue,  or  an}^  Complementary  Color.  This  was 
good  harmony  if  brilliancy  was  desired,  the 
color  of  the  hair  thus  being  made  conspicuous.  To- 
day the  opposite  idea  prevails,  and  the  desire  is  to 
subdue  the  color  of  red  hair,  which  is  readily  done 
by  surrounding  it  with  Russets,  Browns,  or  similar 
shades  of  Red,  and  the  color  of  the  hair  is  thus 
subdued  and  passes  unnoticed. 

An  idea  prevailed  in  the  past  that  correct  har- 
mony in  decoration  was  the  carrying  out  of  a 
scheme,  or  symphony,  of  similar  shades  of  color  in 
a  room,  to  the  exclusion  of  Complementary  Colors. 
This  produces  a  good  impression  upon  first  enter- 
ing the  room,  but  upon  remaining  in  the  room  with 
no  Complementary  Color  present  to  neutralize,  or 
counteract,  the  prevailing  color,  the  eye  soon  be- 
comes saturated  with  it,  and  the  Complementary  is 
increasingly  created  in  the  eye,  thus  "killing"  the 
local  color,  until  a  very  dull,  undesirable  effect  is 
produced.  The  remedy  is  to  provide  sufficient  of 
the  Complementary  Color  to  restore  the  color 
equilibrium  in  the  eye,  yet  not  enough  to  destroy 
the  effect  of  the  color  scheme  employed. 

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